Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
William Grand Photographs of the Snake River Mail Boat Route, Between 1950 and 1969?
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Grand, William
- Title
- William Grand Photographs of the Snake River Mail Boat Route
- Dates
- Between 1950 and 1969? (inclusive)19451975
- Quantity
- 33 photographic prints (1 folder) ; 8 1/4 x 10
- Collection Number
- PH0773
- Summary
- Photographs documenting William Grand's trip along the Snake River Mail Boat Route
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The Snake River mail route ran 95 miles down the Snake River, through Hell's Canyon, from Lewiston to Johnson's Bar in Idaho, is known for being treacherous and full of rapids. The tradition of the River Route began in 1919 when Press Brewrink was awarded the first mail contract, according to United States Postal Service records.
One of the more well-known captains along the route was Captain Kyle McGrady who delivered mail and supplies along the route to over 300 persons. Due to the unreliability of radio transmission within the canyon, Captain McGrady would utilize homing pigeons as his primary means of communication. Although the area is more accessible than it used to be, the River Route still operates today.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs from William Grand's trip up the Snake River on a mail boat showing scenes of the river and the people on the boat. It also includes a photograph of the pigeons on his boat used for carrying messages back to Lewiston. The photographer annotated the photographs with notes about the trip.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View the digital version of the collection
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Source: Fairlook Antiques, January 6, 2006
Processing Note
Processed by Marion Brown, 2008;
Photographs were pulled from a disintegrating scrapbook. The original order of the photographs was maintained. Item numbers reflect the page numbers of the scrapbook.
Bibliography
Cockle, Richard "Mail Gets Through, Even to Residents of Remote Snake River Region" The Oregonian 12/25/07
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box/Folder | item | ||
1/1 | 1 |
Group including Dr. Lloyd W. Brooke, his
wife Leonie, and daughter Juliette, as well as their friend, Mrs. William
Grand, wife of the photographer standing near the boat Florence on the bank of the river
Written on verso: Pilot and Passengers Prepare For the Trip (at
Lewiston, Idaho). Vacationists from all over the U.S. have journeyed to
Lewiston, starting point for the spectacular trip up stream to the limit of
navigation on the Snake River. They claim they get their money's worth in
scenery, adventure and "shooting the rapids." The boat pulls out from its
modest dock at Lewiston at 5 a.m. sharp.
The afternoon before the trip everyone went down to see Mr. Grady
and his boat.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 2 |
Dr. and Mrs. Brooke, Juliette and Captain
McGrady looking at a map
Written on verso: Dr. and Mrs. Brooke, and Juliette discussing
the "fine points" of the Snake River navigation with Capt. McGrady, our pilot.
Snap shot taken the day before we left on our river trip.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 3a |
Two men in a boat
Written on verso: At 5 a.m. at Lewiston, Idaho... on a cold,
gloomy early morning, the Brookes and their party, climb on board Captain
Grady's mail boat, and start on the adventurous trip up the Snake Rivet [sic]
to Hell's Canyon.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 3b |
Sky and river
Written on verso: At 5 a.m. Lewiston lay in the cold gloom of an
early morning.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 4 |
Hills seen from river
Written on verso: Snake River... On The Way to Hell's Canyon.
These benches hem in the lower reaches of the Snake River, beyond
Lewiston, Idaho, but before the river banks stiffen into dark craigs [sic] of
the main canyon. There is nobody around and no sign of habitation. The ranches
are back in the hills.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 5 |
Group sitting on top of boat
Written on verso: Tourists Use Binoculars and Cameras.
The pilot of the mail boat knows the tricky channels of the Snake
from the start at Lewiston, and is familiar with the colorful history of canyon
and river. Every turn of the river is an adventure in color and form. Nature
has spent a million or so years on these noble halls of the canyon.
As it warmed up, shortly after noon, more people appeared on deck,
[illegible] with binoculars and cameras.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 6 |
Group at the end of the boat
Written on verso: Shooting the Rapids of the Snake.
One rapid follows another in a fairly regular succession.
Passengers distribute themselves around, some on the deck, some on the cat walk
and a few in the pilot house with the captain. Some grab the handrail as the
boat keels and the splash breaks over the bow of the boat.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 7 |
Group sitting near a cage of
pigeons
Written on verso: The Brooke party, with Mr. and Mrs. Bill Howell,
Ann Grand, Mr. and Mrs. H. Heynema of Chatsworth, Cal, Capt McGrady in at the
wheel.
McGrady training carrier pigeons to carry messages from the boat-
because radio waves do not penetrate the depth of Hells Canyon on the Snake
River.
Note pigeons in the foreground; they were released at intervals
during trip to carry messages back to Lewiston.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 8 |
The Florence
pulled to the shore of the river
Written on verso: At "Rolling Rapids" we had to get out and walk
around. This scene is a little dark and gloomy, but it captured the mood of the
passengers as they knew they'd be walking at least twice more later.
At "Rolling Rapids," the Pilot Calls, "All on Shore!"
The more than a hundred boulder-studded rapids of the Snake, cause
the sturdy mail boat to buck and growl over some of the rough ones.
Occasionally, during the season of low water, the pilot invites the passengers
to "take shore leave" to lighten the load over some of the bad spots... which
help make the trip a real adventure in scenery and hazards.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 9 |
Man on horseback
Written on verso: A Rancher Calls for His Mail.
The mail boat noses up to a rock or sand bar, called a "port" and
delivers mail to a rancher whose only address is: River Route, Lewiston,
Idaho.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/1 | 10 |
Group looking over the back of the
boat
Written on verso: A Most Unusual Tourist Attraction.
Out into the current again to deliver more mail and supplies at
landings on the Snake River. there are great beds of limestone on both sides of
the river--destined some day to be quarried and put to industrial use.
Vacationists from all over the U.S. have journeyed to Lewiston,
Idaho, starting point for the spectacular boat trip... shooting the rapids of
the Snake.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 11 |
Group hauling barrel from boat to
shore
Written on vereso: As the unloading of gasoline drums continues,
McGrady got into dry clothes. Passengers eager to assist.
River Mailman Hauls Mail, Cargo & Tourists.
The pilot of the mail boat does everything..... he hauls herders
up the river; ferries sheep across the Snake River; brings sacks of wool to
market; shunts miners back and forth; carries supplies; delivers mail; fills
orders at Lewiston; sells stamps, cashes checks; delivers drums of oil.
Passengers often lend a "helping hand."
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 12 |
Women looking out of side of
boat
Written on verso: Out into the river the mail boat moves on, as
passengers watch the walls of the canyon grow higher and higher.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 13 |
Men rolling bales of wool for the mail
boat
Written on verso: Sacks of wool to be loaded and taken to Lewiston
while on return trip.
Bales of Wool Ready for the Mail Boat.
The tall, picturesque Leslie Oliver hung out a white flag as a
signal for the mail boat to stop at his landing, to haul the baled wool from
his canyon ranch to Lewiston, Idaho.
Mr. Oliver has 5,400 acres of land and 1,100 heads of cross-bred
sheep. He, like the other half hundred person living along the 99 miles of
surging river, between Johnson Bar and Lewiston, depends on the mail boat for
supplies and cargo.
Wm. Grand 2305 S.W. Vermont, Portland, Oregon.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 14 |
Men rolling bales of wool as seen from
inside boat
Written on verso: Loading wool sacks aboard by rolling them down
to the waters' edge, and up a gangplank.
Wool Out of the Wilderness.
The mail boat noses into the bank and holds on, while passengers
take a hand in loading wool on board. This is wool from the sheep which Leslie
Oliver runs on his 5,400 acres. He has lived over a quarter of a century in the
Canyon of the Snake, along with sheepherders, cattle ranchers, prospectors,
trappers and hermits.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 15 |
Hay barn
Written on verso: One of a few hay barns to be seen as we go
along.
There is always plenty to add spice and variety to the scenery, a
nesting eagle, deer, coyotes, snow cliffs, hay barns, etc. as the mail boat
stems [sic] its way up stream.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 16 |
Four passengers looking out the front of
the boat
Written on verso: One of the rougher rapids we entered on our
return trip.
The Snake Becomes a Wild, Turbulent Stream.
This section is almost as primitive as when the eyes of the white
man first gazed upon it. The lively chuck of the diesel motors of the mail
boat, heralds the arrival of food, mail, supplies and news to the adventurous
men who herd sheep and cattle there.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 17 |
Man unloading barrel from
boat
Written on verso: McGrady carried mail, groceries, fuel for farm
machinery. He is unloading the first of four drums of gasoline at a ranchers
bar.
At Dug Bar.... Drums of Oil for Tibbetts.
At Dug Bar, in the canyon, rancher Bob Tibbetts came down from his
home in this far-flung wilderness, to hail the boat and check off the barrels
of oil he had ordered shipped.
Mr. Tibbetts has his own special mail box, on which he hangs a
white flag to signal the boat to stop at this landing.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 18 |
Three passengers looking at woman
standing on shore
Written on verso: The cheerful cook from the Van Pool's ranch
exchanges final wisecracks with passengers when she got off.
The Cook Returns to the Van Pool's Ranch (Near Salmon Bar on Snake
River).
Passengers as well as mail and cargo depend on the mail boat for
transportation on the River Route. Here the cook returns to the rugged canyon
ranch of Harold Van Pool, where he runs 850 heads of Herford cattle on his
17,000 acres. Harold's father homesteaded in this tough wilderness and
prospered.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 19 |
The Florence
in the middle of the river
Written on verso: The boat "Florence" in throes of "Rolling
Rapids." Women stayed aboard, but up in the bow. See picture of gloomy
passengers re-embarking.
In the Throes of Rolling Rapids on the Snake.
Rolling Rapids, about 64 miles below Lewiston, Idaho slows down
the mailman's floating post office. It seems to stand still in the foaming
waters. "All on Shore," the pilot shouts, and the 25 odd passengers take "shore
leave" amid the wild rugged beauty of the Snake River Canyon.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/2 | 20 |
View from inside the cockpit
Written on verso: A Floating Post Office.
The most spectacular mail route in a most remote and inaccessible
region. The Snake is called the wildest river in America, and the canyon
becomes the deepest gorge on the North American Continent.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 21 |
View from inside the cockpit
Written on verso: McGrady at the wheel.
It Takes a Daring Pilot to Navigate.
The captain pilots his boat on the trip up the Snake River against
the swift current, and over treacherous, boulder-studded rapids.
The mail boat has a lot of power, and yet the captain needs every
bit of it to fight his way up stream against the 8 to 10-knot currents, and to
climb the 510 feet that the river rises en route to Johnson Bar.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 22 |
Three passengers looking out over the
front of the boat
Written on verso: Shooting the Rapids--on the way downstream.
These particular rapids are unidentified. However all the rapids look
alike.
Mail Boat Chucks its Way Along.
It takes a highly skilled pilot to navigate a boat against the
heavy current and treacherous rapids in the deep canyon of the Snake River. Of
the hundred or more rapids in this section of the Upper Snake, there are five
that present a real battle to the most skilled navigator.. the Slaughterhouse,
Ten Mile, Wild Goose, Shovel Creek and Tiger Rapids.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 23 |
View of the canyon and the
Florence in the middle of the river
Written on verso: This is a rarely seen view as passengers (i.e.
photographers) do not normally have the opportunity to leave the boat prior to
its destination. The boat is shown here as it navigate the Upper Cottonwood
rapids with the passengers dotting the shoreline.
Navigating the Upper Cottonwood Rapids.
Cottonwood Rapids on the Upper Snake River, give the passengers a
real taste of "shooting the chutes." The mail boat, while no plush, showy
affair, is nevertheless tough and sturdy enough to fight its way thru [sic]
this wild river in the deepest canyon on the North American continent.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 24 |
Hell's Canyon
Written on verso: About halfway along in the upstream trip the
river bank assumed a more rugged appearance--as contrasted with the gentle
rolling hills in Lewiston district.
Hell's Canyon... A Glimpse of its Sinister Splender [sic].
Steep benches hem in the lower reaches of the Snake River, before
the river banks stiffen into the dark craigs [sic] of the main canyon. The
engines of the mail boat, echoring [sic] thru [sic] the twisting lava corridor
are a signal to the people of the wilderness that neither foaming rapids nor a
gorge a mile deep halts the U.S. Mail.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 25 |
The Florence
sailing through rapids
Written on verso: Upper Cottonwood Rapids contrast this with same
view taken from higher up on hillside. It took McGrady about 45 minutes to
"feel his way" thru [sic] this part.
Sides of Canyon Get Steeper.
The mail boat keeps right on moving up the river--more rapids. The
rock walls get higher. Some of them slope up to 1,500 or 2,000 feet at the
apparent summits. Some of the walls are sheer for a few hundred feet; others
have a 30 to 40 degree slope. Primitive areas on both sides of Hell's Canyon
are unspoiled as yet by civilization.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 26 |
The Florence
at the shore and passengers disembarking
Written on verso: At the point where McGrady unloaded his drums of
gasoline the passengers had time to disembark and walk around.
Here Comes the Mail Man.
The Post Office Dept. says in its long history there never has
been an undertaking as singular as the mal service on "River Route, Lewiston,
Idaho." This is the official address of the half hundred residents now living
along the Snake River, north of Lewiston, Idaho, to Johnson Bar. The mailmen
also serves as grocery boy, cargo carrier and Chamber of Commerce official of
Hells Canyon.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 27 |
The Florence
in the middle of the river
Written on verso: Additional view of boat about to enter Upper
Cottonwood Rapids in upstream trip.
The Snake River Passage.
Thru [sic] miles of canyon, and innumerable rapids, in that
inaccessible, little-known region called "Hell's Canyon," the mail boat
delivers mail and cargo to ranchers and miners on the banks of the Snake.
Regular mail trips are made each week, where the mountains close in on the
narrowing river, and where rapids follow another in fairly regular
succession.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 28 |
View of the canyon and the
Florence in the middle of the river
Written on verso: The rapids are not shown in this view, the pilot
having let the passengers off about a half mile below them before making the
try. (Upper Cottonwood Rapids.)
The Mighty Kingdom of the Snake River.
... where the engines of the small mail boat echo thru the
twisting lava corridors. The diesel engines of the ship reverberate back and
forth between the crags, as she bucks steeper slats in the river.
Inch by inch the sturdy boat gains headway, until it surmounts the
crest of the Upper Cottonwood Rapids.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 29 |
View of the Snake River and
hills
Written on verso: View showing McGrady's lodge, in here passengers
stayed over night. This parish, called Johnson Bar, is about 10 mi. from the
entrance to the Grand Canyon of the Snake R.
Johnson Bar...The End of Our Journey.
At last, after an all day trip from Lewiston, Idaho, the mail boat
beaches nine miles south of Johnson Bar, on the Snake. The pilot has taken his
mail boat and passengers thru [sic] one of the roughest reaches of water in the
world. The lodge provides overnight accommodatio. A sturgeon has been caught
and is hauled aboard the boat. Passengers climb the steep walls of the canyon
to view the magnificent scenery. The lodge is about ten miles from the entrance
of Hell's Canyon... that vast abyss of the Snake, where navigation becomes
impossible.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 30 |
Captain Ed McFarlane
Written on verso: Capt. MacFarlane Made History on Upper Snake
River.
Capt. Ed. MacFarlane, now retired, lives in Lewiston, Idaho. He
was the first man to run a commercial boat on the dangerous Upper Snake
River.
He spent 30 years on the river. His launch "The Clipper" made
Sunday excursion from Lewiston, Idaho, to Imnaha, Oregon. He carried supplies
to the miners and ranchers up the Snake, as far as it is navigable.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 31 |
Sapp's Grocery. Hume Hotel and
businesses along street in Lewiston, ID
Written on verso: Mrs. Sapp, Storekeeper, Banker, Friend.
Mrs. Sapp, owner of Sapp's Grocery in Lewiston, Idaho, not only
fills grocery orders for Snake River residents, but is also the only woman in
Idaho licensed to handle the gold for miners who gather the glittering dust
from the canyon area.
Mrs. Sapp is called upon to fill unique orders from that locality,
including anything from baby layette to cyanide potassium.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
1/3 | 32 |
Exterior of Sapp's Grocery, Lewiston,
ID
Written on verso: Lewiston Storekeeper, Brings Snake River Trade
to Lewiston, Idaho.
The Sapp Grocery at Lewiston, Idaho, is owned and run by Mrs. Ruth
Buchanan Sapp for over a quarter of a century. She and her late husband George,
developed a plan to bring the Snake River trade to Lewiston. They realized how
difficult it was for the people up the canyon to come to Lewiston to shop, so
she started a shopping service. A customer she has never seen may have as much
as $300 on her books. She pays tribute to the average miner and sheepherder of
the river country, for his courage, sticktuitiveness [sic] often under adverse
conditions.
|
Between 1950 and 1969? |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Homing pigeons--Idaho--Photographs
- Packets--Idaho--Photographs
- Postal service--Idaho--Photographs
- Ranchers--Idaho--Photographs
- Sheep ranchers--Idaho--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- Florence (Packet)--Photographs
Geographical Names
- Lewiston (Idaho)--Photographs
- Snake River, South Fork (Idaho)--Photographs